Change to save the world
by kenyizsu
Summary: Through the history of mankind immortals had been charged many times with the inability to change. But there were occasions, even if rare as the blue moon, when some of the gods changed (a little). Though it usually took a monumental event to do that. But it did happen. However no changes had ever been bigger than this one. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**Oh hey, it's been a while since I last uploaded anything here. Oh well, time to break that silence. During this time I've discovered a new author, Rick Riordon and instantly fell in love with his works. Note: I'm a HUGE mythology-fan, I am interested in anything from Norse to Egyptian religion. They are. Just. So. GREAT!**

**Anyway, so yeah I read the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and "The Kane Chronicles" series, can't wait for the next book of "Heroes of Olympus", and currently hunting for this "Son of Sobek" book.**

**And of course, favourite Greek gods are Poseidon and Hades. So here's a little story about them. IT IS NOT SLASH, IT IS NOT YAOI, just some "family reunion in the time of need" kind of thing.**

**Hope you all like it! :D R&R please!**

**Also, careful with criticism. I've never been the best at writing, but I try my hardest every time. :)**

**Oh yeah! I forgot:  
all characters (c) Rick Riordan and Classical Greek Mythology  
story (c) me  
This of course stands for the ENTIRE fanfic (just don't wanna write it down every single time)  
**

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**Change to save the world**

1.

At times like this, during a beautiful, warm summer dusk Persephone always found herself sitting at one of the many windows of her mother's temple on Mount Olympus, staring at the sky, enjoying the breeze, the fresh air, the light… everything that was absent in the Underworld. At times like this she always found herself wishing she didn't have to return there every September. Even though she loved Hades (he was a very good husband among the gods, loyal even), the Underworld was an unfriendly, unpleasant place and not even he could change that atmosphere. She loved Hades but hated the Underworld.

She was reading something, some new novel that came out not long ago when her gaze wandered to the sky and got stuck there. It was so beautiful: the colors and the clouds turned the scenery into a very slowly changing painting. Probably these dusks were what she was missing the most in the Underworld during autumn and winter. After all she grew up in the wild Nature, not on Mount Olympus, but in a meadow, next to a smaller forest with a river. She would choose that hut over the biggest temple any day.

As she was gazing at the darkening sky, a thought emerged in her mind all of a sudden: What if it could be arranged that she didn't have to go back to the Underworld? She didn't really know where this idea came from but she liked it. Yes, she ate those pomegranate seeds therefore she was chained to the Underworld… but if it could be revoked? Yes, it is an Ancient Law, but every law has at least one loophole. There is no way nobody was aware of such thing. There had to be a way.

Persephone stood up, spared one more glance at the sky then turned around and stormed out of the room to find her mother, Demeter. Maybe she could help her. She knew her mother would love the idea.

...

Poseidon let out a huge yawn as he teleported to one of the streets of Olympus from his underwater palace. He stretched, the Trident in one hand then started walking with a small smile on his face. He didn't really have plans for today, probably will just gather some tasty gossips about others then retreat to his palace. In the meantime he would try to stay away from that obnoxious little niece he had: Athena. Gods, he hated that woman so bad. No wonder Ares was driven crazy by her! She always had a smartbutt retort or comment on **everything**, even on the things she shouldn't be concerned about, like: "Poseidooon, why in the world are you stirring up that hurricane?! It won't even reach the shore like that". Seriously?! Since when did the Goddess of Strategy, Wisdom and Crafts have to bother with the task of the God of Seas?! Ugh, she was a royal pain in the butt. Poseidon let out a heavy sigh, determined to stay away from her. It wasn't **that** hard since Athena usually spent her time in that huge library she owned.

Right now she and everyone else just enjoyed what little peace they had: the Titans were long defeated and the Giants and Gaea were mostly inactive. Thankfully. Since Poseidon no longer had to bother with Oceanus, and the Giant who was countering him, Polybotes was effectively taken out by his son, Percy Jackson, he had even less trouble to worry about. He was relaxed and was sure nothing could disturb his peace.

This is why he took a double upon seeing Persephone among some other lesser gods, chatting happily. The God of Seas almost walked into a wall as he stared at the goddess, stunned. He stopped just in time and shook his head to clear his thoughts. What was the date?

1st September.

He looked there again. Yup, no doubt about it, that was in fact his niece, Persephone, Goddess of Springtime, happily chatting. Still on Mount Olympus. She should have returned to the Underworld by now, mostly right after midnight. It was, like, 5 p.m.! Okay, something was **wrong** here.

He walked up the group, determined to find everything out.

...

Hades technically catapulted out of his bed, quickly put on his clothes and dark cape and burst out of his bedroom like the Minotaur from around a corner in the Labyrinth. Usually he didn't sleep much, well, not during autumn and winter at least. He didn't need it in fact. But summers and springs were the times when he could sleep 18 hours in a row and only didn't sleep more because he had duties to tend to. It was his way to kill time until his beloved Queen, the most beautiful thing in the world returned to him. He slept to spare his sanity as he spent nearly every moment thinking about her. It would have driven him mad in a matter of years. So instead he created this method of self-preservation. And it worked pretty well actually. But it was time to stop that because the day has finally come!

1st September, 1 a.m. He overslept, damnit!

Usually he was up at midnight, already standing before the main doors of his palace, waiting for his Queen (and that stupid mother-in-law) to arrive. In those moments he was always so happy Zeus and Poseidon wouldn't even recognize him and Demeter was unable to ruin his mood no matter what she tried. For this one day he usually even loses his stupid pale skin and becomes more vivid. Nothing in the world matters today.

He nearly exploded into the small yard that was before the main gates. Damnit, he had never been this late before! He skidded to a stop, huffed a little then quickly arranged his clothes in order and looked up.

The yard was empty.

Hades froze then looked around in surprise. Where was the chariot that was supposed to bring his wife home? He walked up to the main gates and asked the skeleton guards. They said they hadn't seen it yet. The God of the Underworld didn't know what to say. He shook his head and looked over at the horizon. The Fields of Asphodel, with its countless residents spread wide, but there was no sign of any chariot.

What was going on?

Hades felt unexplainable anger rising in him (he hated his short patience) so he mentally contacted Charon.

- _Charon, for the love of Tartarus, where is my Queen?!_

- _Uh, my lord, I wish I knew…_

- _What?!_

- _I don't know where she is, my lord! She was supposed to arrive half an hour ago and I am ready to transport her over the River Styx but I see no sign of her._

Hades opened and closed his mouth like a fish but no sound came. What in the Underworld was going on here?!

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**So how was it? Good? Bad?**

**Next chapter is tomorrow! :D (Yeah I have to whole thing written down. Didn't want to upload some half-assed story.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi there again! :D I hope the first chapter wasn't too boring. Things finally start up here... at least I THINK they do.**

**Do they? Oo**

**R&R please!**

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2.

- What do you mean you "revoked" it? You can do that?

Poseidon could hardly find words, but he managed to choke up these two questions. Zeus raised his eyebrow at this.

- Of course we can do that. You see the result right here – he gestured at the widely smiling Persephone.

- But… how? That's an Ancient Law!

- And it had a loophole! – announced Demeter happily. – Now my daughter will no longer have to descend to that horrible place again!

- It's been so long since I had seen a fall or winter – Persephone smiled. – I even forgot how they look like. It will be so much fun getting back in the world again.

Poseidon slowly turned to Zeus, bewilderment written all over his face. The King of Gods let out a heavy sigh.

- Come, let me show you!

In the kitchen many things were held, especially in a carved wooden cupboard: magical plants, animal parts, spices and mushrooms that were very hard to find in the mortal world and most of them had immense power. Zeus lifted a small casket from one of the shelves and opened it. Inside there was a small heap of strange, pure gold ambrosia. Usually it was white or light yellow or cream colored.

- What's this? – Poseidon leaned closer. He had never seen this before.

- It's a special kind of ambrosia – said Zeus. – Chaos gave it to me when I was preparing for the war against Father. It has the power to remove any curses or such things. Including…

- The Curse of the Underworld's Food – murmured Poseidon, finishing the sentence. – But I don't get it! If you had had it for so long, why didn't you use it when Persephone ate the pomegranate?

- Those were tensed times – growled Zeus, closing the box and placing it back into the cupboard. – Don't you remember? It hadn't been long since we had split the world among us! Hades wasn't that happy about his share, remember? I had to let him have my daughter if I wanted to avoid a war.

- Don't tell me you were afraid of him – snorted Poseidon gleefully.

- I wasn't! – hissed Zeus, his stormy eyes growing darker. – But he had an endless army, while I had nearly nothing back then. No, it was for the best. Besides, it would have been a golden opportunity for the Titans to break out of their prison once more.

Poseidon, even though he knew the main reason behind Zeus' decision was to save his throne, had to admit he was right. It was really for the best and it silenced Hades for quite some time.

- Shouldn't we at least tell him that his wife won't return to him any time soon? – he asked.

- I've already informed him about this, don't worry.

- When?

- Hell if I know, three hours ago? – grumbled Zeus.

...

Something was not right.

Something was really **not** right.

Poseidon was pacing up and down restlessly in his underwater throne room. Something felt out of place but he couldn't put his finger on it. Was it Triton? No, the kid was fine, practicing outside with some mermen.

Percy?

No, he was fine. That much Poseidon could tell and he was hoping it would last for long. But as he knew his son, Percy would find trouble soon.

So what was it then?

Amphitrite was worried about him and he knew she had a point. He himself didn't know what was wrong with him! Like something was amiss in his mind or soul? Yes, there was the source, but what was it?

Poseidon forced himself to sit down onto his throne, inhale deeply and concentrate. Okay, so the disturbing thing came from his soul. Now he just had to find the source. This sensation was getting very unpleasant. At first, two days ago, on 1st September it was hardly detectable, but now it grew into a very bothering feeling. Poseidon searched for it, determined to know what was going on. Maybe somebody was messing with him, in which case he will gladly retaliate with a mental punch.

He was sitting there for an hour when he finally found the cause. Immediately he sprung to his feet and called out for Amphitrite with his mind.

- _Honey!_

- _Yes, sweetie, what is it?_

- _I'm going away for some time. Gotta… eh, check on something real quick._

- _Is it another mortal woman?!_

-_ Wha—no! It's, uh… immortal stuff._

- _Pfh, fine_ – Amphitrite huffed in annoyance. – _But be back as soon as you can!_

- _But of course, sugar._

And with that Poseidon teleported to the Underworld.

Not really his favorite place in the world, but he had to check on something.

He arrived just outside the massive Gate. The three-headed dog, Cerberus barked but quickly fell silent as he recognized the newcomer. Poseidon made him retreat with one glance as the Sea God stormed across the line of dead souls. He had managed to quickly get through the complaining Judges and rushed to the palace. The skeleton guards didn't even try to stop him. He walked into the main throne room.

It was empty. Both thrones, the one made out of bones and the other of flowers (it was very out of place) sat there lonely. Not a soul was nearby. Poseidon's worry grew as he looked around for another door. He hurried through corridors, quickly getting lost. No sign of his brother. Thankfully he soon ran into another skeleton servant. The thing couldn't talk in a language he knew but it understood what he said.

- Where is your king? – asked Poseidon.

The skeleton looked at him for a second, then shrugged and gestured for him to follow. It led him to a huge bronze carved door, pointed at it and shrugged again. Poseidon pushed down the door handle. It didn't open. The skeleton shook its skull and left. It didn't know what was going on in there. Poseidon tried again, leaning against the surface with his body. Still, it didn't move.

- Hades! – he shouted.

No answer.

- Hades, open this goddamn door, I know you are in there!

Still nothing. Not even the smallest of sounds could be heard.

- Hades? Stop this, okay? Just open the door.

Poseidon waited but the result was the same.

- That's it! – he shouted, summoning his Trident. – I will count to three then blast it in! One… two… THREE!

The light blue energyball smashed into the door which responded with a painful creak and flew open. Surprisingly it stayed in one piece. Poseidon stepped in and then…

He dropped his Trident.

...

Persephone hummed happily as she was dressing up in her room. It had been two days in autumn and she was still here in the Overworld, still well. She felt so relieved! Finally, she was no longer forced to spend half a year in that cursed dark rathole. It was an amazing feeling! She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it earlier. She guessed she had gotten used to it that much. But now that she was free she was pretty sure she would never ever go back to that place.

As she was trying on some jewelry, her fingers caught something: it was a necklace made of bronze and gold and it had small flowers on it shaped out of all kinds of gems. It was a very nice jewelry, even though it had many flaws: the chains were put together awkwardly and some of the flowers weren't shaped perfectly. It was made by Hades as a present for her. After all, the God of the Underworld was not Hephaestus, but it didn't stop him from making this necklace with his own hands. It turned out quite good for him, he had said. He had also said he hoped she would wear it often.

Persephone smiled sadly. She was going to miss Hades. Guess from now on she will only see him during the Winter Solstice, the only day when he was allowed onto Mount Olympus. She hoped her husband won't be so angry and will understand her. Hades, even though he was usually a gloomy and moody god, always understood Persephone's every feeling. She hoped it would be the same in this case. Or, if he really was angry, he would forgive her.

_Maybe I will visit him every once in a while_, she mused to herself.

She put on the necklace.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

- _APOLLO, GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!_

Okay, so maybe this was not what he should have said, but Poseidon had a lighter panic-attack and he immediately thought of the God of Doctors.

After all, he had just found his eldest brother, Hades lying unconsciously on the floor before his huge, blood red bed. The god was out cold, nothing could make him react in any way. Yes, Poseidon even slapped him across the face, taking on the possible respond (a strong punch in the face) but no such thing came. Hades didn't even twitch or grunt.

By the time Apollo arrived in a flash of light, Poseidon had already dragged Hades onto his bed. The guy was **heavy**.

- What is it? – mumbled Apollo, clearly not happy about his task. – I was writing a new poem, you know.

- Something is wrong with Hades – panted Poseidon, retreating a little from the bed. – I can't get him to show any life signs.

- Seriously? You ordered me here for Hades?

- Yes!

- Ugh, fine – grumbled Apollo and started examining the fainted god. – The dude probably just overworked himself or something.

His palms shimmered with magical light as he stroke the body, looking for… well, anything that could have caused this. Poseidon didn't turn away his gaze from them not even for a second. He actually surprised himself but he was very worried for his brother. This has never happened before. Unfortunately he didn't fail to notice the growing dismay on Apollo's face. At the end he bit his lower lips, finishing the examination.

- So? – asked Poseidon anxiously.

Apollo didn't answer. He uneasily glanced at him then back at Hades.

- What is wrong with him?!

- He is… – Apollo began but had to take a deep breath to be able to continue –, he is… fading.

...

- I don't get it! Why don't we attack them?! – roared Porphyrion, the counter Giant to Zeus.

The underground cave was shaken by his mighty voice.

- Patience, my child – came a soft reply: the sleeping Earth Primordial, Gaea. – We must wait for some time for my plan to fully set into motion.

- But why not take advantage out of it right away?!

- A sudden crisis would ruin everything… It would make them unite and that is what I want to avoid now.

- Why do you think it will work anyway? That stupid Goddess of Springtime is a speck of dust among the other gods! Why did you choose her?

- Oh, she is very easy to manipulate… A little false thought here and there and my plan is already working.

- She will do no good to us.

- Oh, but she already did – whispered Gaea. – There is still much for you to learn, my child. Sometimes all a small stream of water needs is one miniature crack… in order to eventually tear a giant proud cliff apart.

...

Poseidon sat nervously at the edge of the dark red bed, not taking his eyes of his brother. Hades didn't move yet, but soon he would wake up. At least that's what Apollo said: during fading the patient would often lose consciousness for a period of time which is longer as the fading goes by.

Poseidon gulped. He didn't know much about fading. Well, he knew what it was, but he didn't know how it happened. It was like the mortals with death: they knew it existed but they didn't know how it would get them and what is after that. The latter question did not concern the Sea God: after the fade there is nothing. Simple and straightforward. In fact, almost none of the gods knew how it went by. It was a rare sight among them and no one had the stomach to watch through one, not even Ares himself.

Hades suddenly stirred then slowly opened his eyes. They were blurry and almost opalescent, not piercing and dangerously sparking like usually. He let out a long but weak sigh. Poseidon forced himself to say something:

- Good morning, sleepy-head – he tried something just a little bit scornful, hoping Hades would retaliate like he used to: an annoyed glance and a sharp retort.

Instead Hades twitched and slowly looked at him, mild surprise on his face. He hadn't noticed him. Hades didn't say anything for a few seconds then turned his gaze towards the ceiling again and finally mumbled:

- Go away.

That was it. No annoyed glance, no retort, no growl, no **anything**. Poseidon tried to push harder.

- Yeah, because after scaring the everloving spirit out of me, you think you will get away with a simple "go away". Guess again, Sleeping Beauty.

Okay, this should piss him off.

- Just… go…

Goalpost. Again.

- Hades – Poseidon took a deep breath. – I came here precisely because I felt something was wrong with you. You know, through our Familylink. I'm not going anywhere until I make sure you are alright.

The "Familylink" was a mental connection between siblings. It was always there, they could always sense each other even if very dimly.

- Then… move in – Hades mumbled weakly, staring at the ceiling. – I will never be fine again…

- Yes, you will!

- No… not ever…

- What's your problem anyway? – growled Poseidon, hiding his growing worry behind false annoyance.

Hades' hand was shaking a little.

- He… betrayed me – he whispered, even his voice shook with anger. – He… he promised… he promised I could have her for all eternity…

Oh crap.

- You mean Zeus – mumbled Poseidon slumping back a little. – Listen, it was for the be—

- BEST?! FOR WHOM?! – screamed Hades, finally sitting up, staring at his brother. – FOR ME?! FOR HIM?! WHAT HAS HE GAINED FROM THIS?!

- Stop shouting! – boomed Poseidon. – Persephone gained freedom from this, that's what! It wasn't for Zeus! Only for her!

Hades stared at him, panting. Then he slowly gulped and fell back into the pillows.

- Yes… freedom – he managed to say in a hoarse voice. – Because I kept her here as a prisoner… locked up… away from everyone. Yes, sure… I didn't let her go anywhere…

The sarcasm was very hard to detect in his voice but it was there. Actually, Poseidon had no idea how Hades treated Persephone, but come to think about it, the goddess never complained about her husband, only the place.

- She hated the Underworld, you know – he finally said. – Not you, just the place.

Hades didn't answer.

- Look – Poseidon sighed heavily. – You can't just give up. We are at war right now, you know. We need everybody. Especially to keep the Balance of Power.

Hades snarled at this.

- Oh, of course, the Balance! How ignorant of me – he hissed. – Please, don't mind me. I have just gotten completely devastated, my marriage is ruined. The Balance is more important than my pity emotions.

- Yes it is! – growled Poseidon before he could stop himself.

Hades looked at him again, then returned his tired gaze to the ceiling.

- And this… is why I will fade – he said softly.

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**I'm trying my best to capture the characters, though I honestly have no idea how well I'm doing it. R&R?**


	4. Chapter 4

4.

_This is so bad, this is so badly bad_, Poseidon thought desperately, pacing up and down once again, though this time the scene was set on the streets of Mt. Olympus.

The Sea God was completely lost. It had been three days since his last visit to the Underworld. Of course he could still feel Hades in his soul and this unpleasant sensation only became stronger with time. Poseidon simply didn't know what to do. He tried consulting Apollo about this, but the God of Doctors didn't say anything reassuring: the fading can only be stopped when the factor that's causing it cease to exist. Nothing else works.

He knew Zeus felt it as well, however the King of Gods didn't show any sign of acknowledging it. Poseidon had to tell him just how bad the situation was. They had to get Persephone back to Hades as soon as possible.

- Zeus, we need to talk! – he stepped into the throne room.

- About Hades, I believe – grumbled Zeus, obviously not in a good mood as he surveyed a holographic planet Earth, especially the clouds on its surface.

- Yes. So you can feel it too…

- The girls feel it as well – said Zeus, not taking his eyes of the orb. – It is kind of hard to ignore.

- Zeus, we need to send Persephone back to him this instant!

- No.

- What?! Zeus! Hades is **fading**, for the love of—

- I am **not** going to sentence my daughter to this split life again. That is my final word.

Poseidon was officially pissed off. Ignoring the little bells alarming him in his head he grabbed his brother's shoulder and pulled him backwards, away from the small planet. Zeus turned to him angrily.

- What is it?! – he boomed.

- You don't seem to realize the situation! – shouted Poseidon, grabbing his Trident. – If Hades fades, we will **lose** this war! Don't you get it?!

- He is not a key figure, mind you – growled Zeus.

- Yes he is! We all are! If he fades, there will be no King of the Underworld, the dead will grow restless and after a while they will break out to the surface. The chains of the Titans will grow weak and they will break free! Can you imagine what kind of total, all-out **chaos** will be around us?! The Giants and Gaea will definitely win!

- We will make somebody else the King of the Underworld – shrugged Zeus. – Thanatos, for example. Or Nico di Angelo.

- His kid?! You are out of your mind!

- No, I'm not. He has every quality for it. After all, they are related. All we have to do is turning him into a god and give him some time to experience.

- Precisely! We don't have time! – shouted Poseidon. – Damn it, by the time he learns everything the Titans would already be free. Hell, we all would be defeated by then!

- No, we would not be – growled Zeus. – Don't waste my time with this, Poseidon! If Hades is such a pitiful being that he **fades** just because his wife is no longer with him all the time, then so be it! It will just go to show that he wasn't strong enough—

That was it. Poseidon couldn't believe his ears. Was Zeus actually… abandoning Hades?!

- So you will just stand there and watch your brother fade into oblivion?! That's it?! – he hissed. – Are you going to do nothing to at least try to stop it?!

- There is nothing left to do, Poseidon.

- Yes, there is!

- Oh yes? What? What would you do?! There is nothing we can do to turn it around!

- HADES IS OUR ELDEST BROTHER, YOU IDIOT! – howled Poseidon, the air shimmering with magic around him. – YOU CAN'T JUST LEAVE HIM TO HIS DEATH WITHOUT EVEN TRYING SOMETHING! ANYTHING!

- TRY WHAT?! **WHAT**?! – Zeus screamed back, the air filling with electricity. – YOU THINK I DON'T GET THE PROBLEMS HIS FADING WILL CAUSE?! BUT WE CAN'T DO A DAMN THING ABOUT IT!

They were very close to tearing each other's throats out when someone interrupted. Hestia slowly walked into the throne room. Zeus and Poseidon slowly, ever so slowly backed away from each other, weapons still held in the hand firmly.

- How is Hades? – she asked quietly.

- He is going to fade – said Zeus coldly, turning back his gaze to the planet. – That is all.

...

Poseidon went to the Underworld again. He just couldn't stand there and do nothing. Then again, he didn't really have any idea how he could help his brother. He couldn't believe Zeus just stood there, not even caring about it. "We will find a substitution". Yes, because it was that easy. Letting a sibling die was this easy for him. No wonder Zeus was the one who cut up their father into a million places: he had a heart cold enough to do it. Poseidon gritted his teeth in his desperation. What was wrong with Zeus?! The Sea God caught himself thinking about something: what if he was in such situation? Zeus would let him die as well?

As much as he hated facing the fact, his answer was: probably **yes**.

Poseidon shook his head, exiling the thoughts as he entered Hades' bedroom. The god was unconscious again, slumped in between the pillows like a ragdoll. Beside him sat a teenager: Nico di Angelo. The moment the demigod saw the visitor, he stood up, bowed a little and stepped aside without a word.

- How is he? – asked Poseidon.

- I don't know, sir – mumbled Nico, eyes casted onto the floor. – He said he was tired… very tired.

Poseidon grimaced. When a god felt tired, something was wrong.

- When did he faint?

- A few minutes ago. He told me to let him be… but I can't.

Poseidon sighed.

- Neither can I, kid – he mumbled and reached out for his brother's hand.

It was very cold. Hades never had a very warm touch, but this was cold even for him. Poseidon grabbed his wrist and slowly lifted his arm up. Hades didn't react. The Sea God sighed in defeat and was about to let it fall back when his eyes caught something.

He froze to his spot.

He could see the silhouette of his own fingers through Hades' arm. It was very dim and hard to notice but it was definitely there. Poseidon quickly looked at his face. The end of his pitch-black dark hair became transparent, blending into the pillow. He only knew they were there by some weird, blurry shadow they had casted.

Poseidon gulped and placed the hand back onto the blanket.

- What now, sir? – asked Nico in a small voice.

The kid was afraid. As much as he was distant from Hades, the god **was** his father. Watching him slowly dying was probably not a scene easy to bear.

- I… I don't know, kid – Poseidon said after a long pause. – I wish I knew…

...

The sea had been restless for weeks. No storms came, yet the surface of the water was constantly torn up by waves much to the pleasure of the surfers all over America. However the sea creatures, especially the ones that lived inside the underwater palace weren't too happy about it. They could feel the cause of this: their king was anxious.

Poseidon hadn't slept well for days since his last visit to the Underworld. His worry teamed up with the uneasy sensation through the Familylink. Unfortunately now he could feel not only Hades, but the others as well: Hestia was desperate, Hera was angry, Demeter was annoyed, and Zeus… Zeus blocked them all out with a wall of pure coldness. He might as well hid something, they couldn't tell. Poseidon didn't even dare to touch Zeus' presence anymore in his soul. It was like hugging a big ice cube: terribly cold and cruel. He didn't even know his brother was capable of such thing. It was frightening. Okay, they often hated each other's guts beyond belief and wanted the other dead. But Poseidon knew he would never be strong enough to truly turn his back on a sibling in real distress. Zeus was just doing that. And Poseidon had a terrible feeling he would do it towards all of them, not just Hades.

He also couldn't really forget the look on the kid's face. Not like they spent too much time together, however it was enough for a god to know many things about a mortal. Nico was scared beyond belief, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. Poseidon couldn't blame him. It was an utter shock for him as well to see his brother like that. Made things even worse that they knew this shouldn't have been happening. Hades was a **god**… he was eternal. The fact that he was just going to… disappear forever was very unbelievable. Unfortunately unlike mortals when gods fade, there will be nothing left behind to remind. The humans till had their souls and as shallow as this comfort sounded like, it was still far better than what was awaiting a fading god: pure, total nothing.

Nico had already lost his mother (thanks to Zeus) and now he had to watch his father fade away. No wonder the kid was scared.

The days weren't better either. Poseidon found himself seeking the comfort of Amphitrite. His wife was more than willing to help, however she could do little. Poseidon tried pouring his heart out for her and she was listening, but it didn't help. The Sea God didn't feel any better.

And of course Hera found a way to make things worse. She always did.

She just appears in his throne room in a flash of light when he was deep in his thoughts and start screaming and whining and bitching around like it was her home and Poseidon cared about it.

- That's it! – she shrieked as she walked up and down in front of him. – I'm through with Zeus!

- Who did he seduce this time? – growled Poseidon tiredly.

Oh yeah, Zeus could totally have time for something like that even now.

- No one! He closed himself away from everyone! – came the angry reply. – He won't even talk to me or anyone, only if it's "business". I'm fed up with him!

- Then divorce! – hissed Poseidon, knowing all too well how Hera would react to such thing.

His sister didn't disappoint.

- Divorce?! DIVORCE?! – she shrieked like a falcon. – HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH THING TO ME?! THAT WOULD BE AGAINST **EVERYTHING** I REPRESENT!

- Do you know what you represent?! – shouted Poseidon, standing up. – I'll tell you what you represent! A whiny useless **bitch** who is only good for pissing off her brothers and wasting their time while she ignores a sibling in distress! You are angry with Hades because he **dares** to be sick and fading and disturb your peace! You can't tolerate when someone even thinks about divorcing but Persephone leaving behind her husband is fine and dandy because said husband is Hades whom you **hate**! Either you get the **hell** out of my palace this instant or I will make you swallow my Trident in whole!

The two of them shared the most tensed staredown of history for a good two minutes. Hera however was not stupid enough to provoke her brother to do something drastic. So she left.

Poseidon continued to stare at the spot she had been standing before throwing himself back into his throne. He thought through what he had just said to his sister. Then he got up again and teleported to Mount Olympus.

* * *

**So, uhm, yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Hera (sorry to all the Hera-fans out there, if you exist). She is more evil than Kronos and that says something.**


	5. Chapter 5

5.

- No, I'm not going back there!

- Persephone, you don't seem to realize what you have done to Hades!

- Why would you care?!

- He is my brother, that's why! – Poseidon was on the verge of strangling the goddess standing before him.

Persephone apparently inherited a good amount of persistency from her hell of a mother because she was talking back to the God of Seas without any hesitation. And gods, she was just as annoying as Demeter right now.

- You can't send me back there! – she shouted. – You have no idea how horrible that place is!

- But Hades needs you! If he fades, the entire world will suffer and we will be defeated!

- No, we won't! Besides, even if I went there, it would change nothing.

- Oh yeah, how do you know?!

- Because I am not going to stay there! – hissed the Goddess of Springtime uncharacteristically menacingly. – It won't do him any good. He will know I won't stay. He won't stop fading.

- Did you at least **try** it?!

What was wrong with everybody here?! Nobody seemed to think about giving it one **single** try to help Hades somehow. Why the hell not?!

Oh yeah, because it was Hades.

Tears welled up in Persephone's eyes.

- I will miss him… it will be very painful – she sobbed, casting her eyes to the ground. – And… I wouldn't bear seeing him in this state… I just can't do it…

- What have you done to her this time, Seaweed Breath?! – shrieked a newcomer: Athena stormed to them.

The Universe was against Poseidon today.

- Stay out of this! – shouted Poseidon. – The last thing I want now is your stupid smart-talk nonsense!

- Oh you mean Hades – mused Athena, eyes narrowing dangerously. – Why don't you stop wasting your time, Seaweed Breath and start preparing yourself for the chaotic days after his death—

Athena jumped back just in the time as the Trident stabbed the pavement right where her feet were a second ago. Persephone gasped and stepped back as well. Poseidon looked at Athena with pure hatred in his eyes.

- You say that like it is something insignificant – he growled in a dangerously low voice. – Hades means nothing to you, huh? Trust me on this, my **dear** niece, he will once he is gone. Now go away. Next stab will be at your neck, sweetheart.

Athena held her head high as she walked away from the spot. Poseidon looked after her for a short while then turned to leave as well. But not before hissing some last words to the fearful Persephone:

- Hypocrite bitch.

...

The Sea God was on the verge of losing common sense from anger… no, not anger, **desperation**. Yes, that was the right word.

He couldn't believe the rest of the gods. Nobody seemed to care about Hades, nobody wanted to give him one chance. It seemed that the Lord of the Underworld was destined to fade alone. He had always been the… how do mortals say it? Black sheep of the family? Yes. Hades was the black sheep. He liked to be to himself. In the dark, in silence. Maybe that's why he hadn't gone mad in his kingdom. It was the perfect place for him. But of course, everyone needs some company after a while. Probably only Poseidon agreed on this, but he thought Hades deserved Persephone. He, against all claims, was never a very demanding god actually. Yes, he had a pride of his own, just like everyone else, and a nasty habit of keeping grudges till the end. But he always settled for what he had and in a relatively short amount of time, too. When Kronos swallowed them, they were trapped inside the "stomach": a kind of void in the Titan's body. Hades was okay with this as long as he was alive, as he could retreat to his own privacy every once in a while but having his siblings there as well. Hades was okay with Zeus getting the crown, even though he was the youngest of them. Him becoming the Lord of the Underworld was a subject more… difficult, however. It was completely understandable nonetheless. Who the hell would have liked the idea of being technically banished to an underground realm filled with the dead? But, once again, much to Poseidon's surprise, Hades settled for even that. Especially after he married Persephone. After that he never even mentioned that the draw had been unfair. That it was planned out the way it turned out. He also never seemed to show any interest in the others' powers and domains. He was still grumpy, of course… and when Zeus killed his mortal wife during World War II (along with another fifty innocent people) things got really out of handle. Hades became enraged, and rightfully so.

Poseidon almost laughed at this. Hades was the only god who was apparently denied from having a mortal or immortal wife. No, it wasn't his right to have a companion. Everybody could have one or a dozen at a time. Him? No, of course not. Why do you ask?

The God of Seas needed silence, needed a place far away from the other gods. So he traveled to the Underworld, to Hades' palace. It was weird really. He usually enjoyed sounds. But this time he needed silence. Utter silence.

He quietly entered the bedroom. Hades was unconscious again. Before his bed stood a dark-winged figure dressed in robes: Thanatos, the God of Death was leaning over his master, examining him carefully. At the sound of the opening door he backed away from the god. Poseidon sighed heavily.

- Can you… tell how much time is left? – he managed to press the question out of himself, despite knowing that the answer will probably make things worse.

Thanatos face stayed straight: he was either this used to seeing death, or hid his real emotions this well.

- Are you sure you want to know the answer, sir? – he asked slowly. – Most people can't accept it.

- Yes, please tell me.

-… Five days. Starting now – mumbled Thanatos. – A few hours more or less.

Five days.

Only five days until the eldest brother of the family was gone. If the Titans knew about the situation, they were probably already celebrating. Poseidon inhaled deeply, letting the information sink in.

- I will leave now – said Thanatos after a long pause and walked out of the room.

Poseidon looked at Hades. The god was sickly pale, thin and fragile-looking. His right hand was resting on the blanket. Through his skin one could see the shimmering silhouette of the folds in the fabric.

Poseidon looked around. There was a black armchair in one of the corners, turned to face bed. Maybe Nico placed it like that. Nevertheless, the God of Seas flung himself into it and stayed there motionlessly for what seemed like an eternity.

Five days. It was far too early.

Maybe Hades would only wake up for minutes now, before sinking back to unconsciousness. Maybe he wouldn't even know where he was during those moments.

Poseidon watched his dormant brother (it was probably for hours) and then he started talking. He wasn't even sure what he was saying, as if his mouth became self-aware and started working against his will. He just talked. About everything. Gossips on Mt. Olympus, news from the mortal world, his underwater palace, the Underworld, his brother and sisters, Athena, Persephone, the weather, the adventures of their demigod children, everything. He wasn't even thinking about what he said, the words just poured out from him.

Maybe he did it because he, against all of his current feelings, liked sounds. Any kind of sound. He liked to talk, even if not as much as Apollo or Hermes. He realized that the Underworld Palace was the only place truly silent ever since Kronos' stomach. His home was never quiet: the soft murmuring of the ocean always filled the air. Heck, he spent most of his free time on beaches, listening to the waves. Some kind of sound was always present in his immortal life. But not now. This room of Hades' palace was deadly silent. One could hear every small creak on the corridors or the room next door. The murmuring of the dead soul in the Fields of Asphodel didn't reach up here, neither did the agonizing screams from the Fields of Punishment, nor the laughter from Elysium. Probably it was to most silent place in the world even. And it was unnerving for Poseidon. So he guessed he talked because he wanted to vanquish this almost drowning amount of silence.

Or maybe, it was because he wanted to talk to his elder brother normally once, while he still had time. It was always hard to start a simple conversation with Hades, especially after that incident with Maria di Angelo. He was only allowed onto Mount Olympus during the Winter Solstice, strictly for formal and official stuff like a meeting.

Once again it was a laughable situation. A god who helped fighting against the Titans and after that the Giants is forbidden to come up to Mount Olympus just to have some fun and talk or something. Heck, even Thanatos had this right, even though he **very** rarely used it. But Hades? Nah, he will be fine down there. He should stay there.

Maybe the other gods didn't want to help because they wanted him to disappear completely. Yes… it made sense actually. Nearly locking him up in his realm was not enough, it seems. No, it was better if he was completely gone.

Maybe only Poseidon and Hestia had a different opinion. Hestia… the only one among them who never possessed an almost sick amount of pride like the rest of them. She was humble and an amazing listener. She paid attention to anybody who went to her to talk or let out some steam. It didn't matter to her even if all you ever did was whining around her. And among them she was the only one who openly showed her affection towards Hades. Poseidon… he found himself hiding his sympathy all the time. Maybe he wasn't as brave as Hestia. After all, everyone resented Hades. Poseidon just didn't want to stick out that much (he already had enough trouble with his demigod child). But he still remembered the day he first saw that stupid Disney movie "Hercules" and it actually made him angry watching the mortals show Hades as a being even worse than Kronos. Let's forget the fact that the movie was completely inaccurate in mythology.

Heh, he just caught himself talking about that cartoon. Hades didn't even stir at his voice, yet the Sea God went on and on, until his throat started to hurt. When that happened, he finally stood up slowly, murmured a goodbye and teleported to his underwater palace where a sleepless night would await him.

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**Now before you judge me, let me say this: I LOVE "Hercules". It's an epic classic cartoon and everyone should watch it at least twice. I actually love it so much that I don't care about the countless mythology mistakes in it... and THIS says something since I usually can't stand something like that (fck my maximalist nature.) **

**R&R please!**


	6. Chapter 6

6.

This quickly became a routine: get up in the morning, wander around aimlessly in some part of the world (Mt. Olympus, beaches, his own palace) for some time, teleport to the Underworld, talk himself hoarse to the motionless Hades, go home, spend the rest of the night restless.

Poseidon during these five days spent more time in the Underworld than all the other gods in total (minus Persephone, of course). He just felt a strong urge to go there and talk about any stupid worthless thing that came into his mind. He even told his unconscious brother tales about his fishing experiences (he knew everyone thought it was a sport boring as hell) or when he had to drag three hippocampi out of a mortal's net before the guy would have pulled them to the surface. He told what the demigods had achieved, what monsters were spotted in the mortal world, Ares' and Aphrodite's new affair, Apollo's new and totally annoying poem, really everything that came into his mind.

While he talked, his mind was wandering around freely, not caring about the words coming out of his mouth. He noticed many details. The Underworld became darker and more silent (even the Fields of Punishment) as the time went by. The place was **reacting** to the fading of its master, just like Poseidon and his domain reflected each other's state and mood. Oh yeah, speaking of which, the mortal scientists started growing worried about the unexplainably restless behavior of the oceans and seas around the world. Poseidon told Hades that as well.

- I really should stop that, you think? I mean, it must be getting hard to sail on the waters by now… everybody is probably starting to freak out… but it's not that easy, you know… Zeus was looking for me the other day, trying to order me to calm down the waters… but I avoided him… why can't he let me be? No wonder you two can't get along… you hate that he always wants all attention, right? It's annoying, really… then again, I'm doing the same thing right now… I should stop… and Athena should stop being a smarty-pants that she is…

And it went on and on like that. At one point he was talking about those stupid Giants, the next he was explaining how a good BBQ meal is prepared. He surprised himself just how random he could be at times.

This was either a sign of desperation or of madness, he decided.

Then he noticed something only he could spot.

The Underworld stopped getting darker and quieter after a while. It remained the same during the fourth day and that was actually surprising. Maybe it couldn't get any darker and more silent than this.

The fifth day came.

Poseidon did his morning routine of wandering around aimlessly then he hurried to his brother's side and started speaking once more. Only this time he was talking faster than ever before, he jumped from topic to topic aimlessly. It was impossible to keep up with his trail of thoughts (or the lack thereof).

- You wouldn't believe how idiot Ares can be! Do you know what he has done again? … And the mortals are all excited about some new nebula they found gods-know-where. I mean, really? What's the point? It's not like they are ever going to get there or something. It's so stupid to waste so much time with things like this! … Oh yeah, did I mention that Polybotes was killed?

Once again he talked until his throat began to hurt, only this time when he stopped speaking he didn't leave right after that. He stayed there, still watching his unconscious brother. After a very long pause, Thanatos walked in. He seemed distracted and bowed awkwardly to Poseidon. The God of Death leaned over Hades, scanning him with his dark eyes. Poseidon caught himself holding his breath back.

Thanatos straightened up then looked at the Sea God.

Poseidon noticed how surprised the other god seemed.

- He… it's… it will be a week before he fades – the God of Death said slowly, obviously not believing what he was saying. – I… I don't get it… how?

Poseidon leaned forward in the armchair.

- Repeat that – he ordered.

- The fifth day came but suddenly now he is one week away from fading – said Thanatos.

That's when Poseidon noticed that the Underworld was **less** dark and **less** silent than it was yesterday… even if only a little.

Hades coughed and opened his eyes.

- How… the hell can you talk this much? – he moaned.

...

- HADES IS NOT GOING TO FADE, BITCHES!

This was sentence Zeus was sure to never forget. Ever. Neither would he forget the entire scene.

It was 17th September.

Up until that day, Zeus was mainly busy with cutting himself off from his siblings via the Familylink. He hated that stupid mental connection but it was there and it couldn't be erased in any way. So he had to maintain a blockade of sorts, trying his best to mask his real feelings. The last thing he wanted was that everyone could see into him. No, it was unacceptable, especially for a king. He had to keep his cool. Somehow. Or at least keep the look of it.

He also hadn't talked to Poseidon since that last argument. He did see him a few times however: the God of Seas seemed very distracted, walked aimlessly on the streets of Olympus, not paying the least attention to his surroundings, before disappearing to Tartarus-knows-where. It had been like this for five days straight. Once Amphitrite herself contacted to Zeus asking if he knew anything about Poseidon. The Queen of the Oceans had no idea what her husband was doing. Unfortunately, neither did Zeus.

However, he noticed something strange. So far the unpleasant feeling in his soul (Hades) was growing worse as time passed, however on the fourth day it didn't change anything.

And on the fifth day, 16th September, it actually lessened.

No. It did **not** lessen. Zeus shook his head. He was just imagining it, he said to himself.

The next day the gods of Olympus were gathering for a shorter meeting and Zeus called out for Poseidon mentally to come over.

- _Just a sec _– came the rather hurried reply.

Well, this "sec" turned out to be half an hour.

Zeus was holding back the start of the meeting, waiting for his brother to show up. He didn't come. However, right when they were about to start at last, a swirl of water exploded into the throne room, forming Poseidon. The God of Seas stood proudly in the middle of the room, holding his Trident in one hand, the other was on his hip. Before anybody could ask anything, he threw his head back and bellowed that one sentence, before disappearing once more to go… hell knows where.

Silence followed the scene. The gods stared bewilderedly at the spot where Poseidon was standing a second ago. Zeus opened his mouth but no sound came out. More than 5 minutes passed before somebody finally broke the silence.

- Wait, what?! – this was the trademark question of Ares.

However, this time it was uttered by Athena, Goddess of Strategy, Wisdom and Crafts.

* * *

**Poseidon's most epic scene ever. XD Nah, just kidding, there must be countless way cooler moments of his out there on .**


	7. Chapter 7

**Last chapter, everybody. Thank you everyone who favourited/followed/reviewed this story! It really means a lot to me! :D  
**

**Also I have noooo idea who said that "life is about Plan B" stuff, but I like it very much.**

* * *

7.

Had the Earth Mother been fully awaken, she would have howled in sheer anger, causing devastating earthquakes (far worse than what that pesky God of Seas could do) all over the globe. But no, most of her mind was in deep slumber therefore she was unable to go on a proper rampage.

So instead she just sighed in anger and disappointment.

Her plan seemed to be perfect. It looked like it was working. And it **was** working for a while. However, it seemed even Gaea did not know the gods as well as she thought she did. She thought they would abandon Hades in the times of need. And they did, out of selfishness, out of indifference, out of fear and pride. All but one.

Poseidon.

Of course. Like father like son, it seemed. That demigod, Perseus Jackson was full of surprises… so was his father. Poseidon defied everything the Earth Mother had predicted and hurried to his brother's aid. It was strange really: Gaea was sure Persephone's absence will crush Hades. Yet for some reason, the God of the Underworld regained his strength just because his younger brother visited him every day and showed concern for him. In the end, what Hades needed was not a lover but a companion down there. This was most unexpected. But it happened. Curse the Fates.

Oh well, moving on.

After all, life, even immortal life was nearly always about how well you could execute Plan B.

The Earth Mother was far from being run out of ideas.

...

Through the history of mankind immortals had been charged many times with the inability to change. Usually it was said by their own half-blood children. It just goes to prove that it's true.

Most of the time, anyway.

Because there were occasions, even if rare as the blue moon, when some of the gods changed (a little). Though it usually took a monumental event to do that. But it did happen. However no changes had ever been bigger than this one.

This time it affected at least two gods. Maybe even more.

Yes, a close-to-death experience tends to have this much of an impact.

Poseidon didn't stop his visits to the Underworld during those weeks Hades spent in his bed. First he kept up the daily routine. Then, after seeing Hades gaining some more strength, he narrowed it down to every two days. Then three, and finally two occasions per week. But he kept up his visits, no matter what. He was supposed to stir up a smaller hurricane on the day he was planning to see his brother? Then screw the hurricane, he didn't give a crap about that. Heck, the others' opinion didn't matter either. In fact, Poseidon was actually keeping distance from the rest of Mt. Olympus.

He kept talking to Hades. His brother was always awake yet he was listening to everything Poseidon spilled. The God of Seas started to notice many things. Hades became even more silent than before… but it wasn't an unfriendly silence. He didn't really know how to explain it. It seemed that Hades became more like Hestia: a listener. His brother no longer grimaced just because somebody was close to him, he didn't scowl, didn't make malevolent comments on something, just lied there and listened, usually with closed eyes.

So Poseidon started experimenting a little. He began to complain about somebody here and there, mainly about Athena. Hades didn't react in any negative way. Poseidon wanted to push him more, see where his limit was, but held himself back: his brother was still far from being completely healthy. The last thing he needed was stress.

In the meantime he seemed to get to know his elder brother better. When he wasn't talking, Hades was, in a slow, hoarse voice. He himself didn't really seem to care about what he was saying.

And then once Poseidon asked this:

- I'm going back up now. Wanna send a message to anybody… Persephone, perhaps? – it was another test: seeing just how grumpy Hades still was.

Hades let out a long sigh.

- No. Nothing. Thanks, but… I have nothing to say to them.

That was new. Poseidon was sure the old Hades would have sent a 10-meter long list of all the swears and curses he wanted to scream into the others' faces.

After a while Hades finally stood up, with a little help at times. He was still somehow fragile-looking, even though he was no longer that thin. He also limped a little. Not much, but it was there. Yet against all of this, he seemed… calm. He wasn't angry, wasn't embarrassed, just… relaxed. Poseidon had to ask why it was. Hades shrugged and said he had no idea. The two settled for that. They also came to an agreement. Poseidon kept up his visits, willingly. After Hades gaining enough strength to go back to govern the somewhat chaotic Underworld, Poseidon only came down every one or two weeks. During his time in the mortal world he collected news, gossips, new topics, so when he went down next time he could talk about many things.

This weekly brotherly reunion quickly became a habit for the two.

Poseidon, finally free from all that worry, was extremely happy most of the time. When he realized his brother would not fade, he actually nearly kissed his wife and hugged Triton to death from happiness. Poor kid, he thought his father had lost it. Poseidon had to assure him of the opposite.

Then came the Winter Solstice, 21st December.

Poseidon sat completely relaxed on his throne as the meeting went by. This, however, could not be said for the rest of the gang.

Hades was sitting in his simple stone chair completely motionlessly and quietly. He made no movements, no sounds at all, his eyes were closed and his head bowed down a little like he was sleeping. He wasn't, but only Poseidon knew this. The God of Seas scanned the others' faces carefully and had to fight himself to hold back his laughter. The gods were nervous beyond belief. Zeus hid it the best, though. Hermes' sandals constantly started flapping their wings rapidly and Apollo unconsciously summoned a pencil and started playing with it like he was waiting for motivation for a new poem. Those were the most obvious signs. Everybody else was just… nervous, fidgeting in their places, sending awkward glances at the completely still Hades. Poseidon couldn't suppress his smile. It must have been very unnerving for them.

Most of the meeting was the many reports of the gods about their realms and duties. It was a necessary but completely boring thing, even when they were at war. Ares' report was the most interesting. He hardly found any opportunity to mess with the Giants' armies, probably they were protected by Gaea herself. This just went to show that the Earth Mother was more awake than ever. This, of course, didn't brighten the mood.

- Hades, your turn – turned Zeus towards the motionless god, no doubt preparing himself to wake him up somehow and to endure the flow of curses aimed at his head.

Hades immediately stood up, surprising (and even maybe scaring) everyone. Poseidon's smile grew wider. Only he knew that the God of the Underworld was actually listening to the whole thing and only looked like he was sleeping.

Hades said his part: that he managed to make some order in the Underworld that got chaotic during his "invalidism"; the new chains of the remaining Titans were still holding firmly; Iapetus was still completely useless (Percy Jackson brainwashed the Titan in the River Lethe); and the process of the building projects Daedalus was executing. Usual, formal stuff lacking any personal opinion or emotion. After it he sat back onto his "throne", taking up the very same pose before.

Silence followed. Everybody was still waiting. Poseidon had a really hard time holding his laughter back. Hades finally acknowledged the expecting glares by lifting his head up a little and asking softly:

- Did I miss something important out?

Zeus stared at him.

- No – he finally said.

- Then my report is over – said Hades slowly and let his head fall back and closed his eyes.

He did none of the things the others were expecting from him.

After a longer pause the meeting finally started up again. The rest of it was uneventful, boring and ordinary. Poseidon wasn't even paying attention to it, rather scanning the faces of the others. They were hilarious. Except Zeus. Zeus remained unreadable.

Finally the meeting was over after what it seemed like forever. The gods quickly poured out of the room, leaving Zeus and Hades for last. Poseidon was the last one stepping out of there but instead of hurrying away, he stopped and quickly pressed himself against the half-closed door, peeking into the room through the crack.

Hades was still sitting on his throne not moving an inch. Zeus stood up with a heavy sigh and walked to the middle of the room. He looked around and then turned to Hades.

- Come here – he waved.

Hades immediately obeyed. He slowly walked up to his youngest brother, limping a little.

- Yes? – he asked.

Zeus inhaled deeply.

Then launched himself at Hades.

The God of the Underworld didn't even have time to react before finding himself in a very tight hug. Poseidon almost dropped his Trident at this, but managed to hold onto it a second too soon. Zeus was actually **hugging** his eldest brother and he was… crying?

Holy crap.

Hades blinked in confusion but didn't make any moves to push his brother away.

- I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… I… I'm just glad you are back – mumbled Zeus, blinking rapidly to vanquish the tears from his eyes. – I'm so glad it's over…

- So am I – murmured Hades and returned the hug.

Poseidon smiled.

Had any of the demigods been present, there would have been eyewitnesses proving that the Big Three, despite everything they ever did and said, needed each other more than one could imagine. Heck, it seemed Zeus wasn't such a cold-hearted god after all. He blocked the others out through the Familylink because he didn't want the others to detect his worry and fear for his eldest brother. It would have been nice trusting his family, but meh, it was Zeus for Chaos' sake. Of course he wouldn't open himself up. Not in a million years.

So in the end it was good seeing the two of them like that.

Poseidon heard a small slip from behind his back. He quickly turned around, finding Hestia standing not far from him. The Goddess smiled warmly, no doubt knowing about the scene going on in the throne room. Poseidon returned it then the two of them quickly hurried away from there before Zeus would catch them.

Let it stay their little secret forever.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**Until next time!**


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